The Verge: Google will cut even more employees to achieve "ambitious goals"

In 2024, Google will face further cuts to achieve “ambitious goals,” The Verge reports , citing a statement by the company’s chief executive, Sundar Pichai. Among them, he said, are advances in artificial intelligence that Google will invest in this year.

“The reality is that to create the capacity for this investment, we will have to make difficult choices,” the message staff received on the evening of January 17 said. Pichai also said the company will release its 2024 goals in the coming days.

Pichai did not specify how many employees would be cut, but noted that layoffs would not be as large as in 2023. According to The Verge, this time they will affect the hardware, advertising sales, YouTube and other teams. These measures will "simplify execution and increase speed in some areas." 

In early January, Google had already  laid off  hundreds of employees across several divisions. The reductions included employees of departments that work on the Assistant program, equipment and internal software. The co-founders of Fitbit, which produces trackers and smart fitness devices, James Park and Eric Friedman, will also leave the company as part of the reorganization.

In December 2023, Google  announced the launch of what it calls its largest and "most capable" artificial intelligence model, Gemini.

In January 2023, the company  laid off  more than 12 thousand people, or about 6% of its full-time employees.